Hospital Harm by the Numbers

600000

Estimated number of deaths in Canadian hospitals from medical errors since IOM report 20 years ago.

6000000

Estimated number of deaths in the U.S. from medical errors since IOM report 20 years ago.

15000

Equivalent number of fully loaded jumbo jets crashing in the same period, killing everyone on board.

40000

Number of incidents of harm in U.S. hospitals every day.

140000

Number of patients harmed in Canadian hospitals every year.

12

Canada's safety ranking for post surgery objects among 12 OECD countries. (Higher number is worse)

553

Number of foreign objects left in patients after surgery for past 2 years in Canada.

28000

Number of patient deaths in Canada every year because of medical errors in hospitals. (Some estimates, such as UHN's, are higher)

1000000000

One Billion dollars: The estimated annual cost of hospital errors just in Ontario.

That’s equivalent to a 1,117-bed hospital operating at 100% capacity every day for a year.